Brant Goose - Branta bernicla

The Brant Goose is a small goose with a short, stubby bill. It measures 55-66 cm (22-26 in) long, 106-121 cm (42-48 in) across the wings and weighs 0.88-2.2 kg. The under-tail is pure white, and the tail black and very short. The body of the dark-bellied form is uniformly dark grey-brown. The head and neck are black, with a small white patch on either side of the neck. The paler form appears blackish-brown and light grey in colour. The flanks and belly are paler than the back and present a marked contrast. The head and neck are black, with a small white patch on either side of the neck.

Habitat and Distribution

The Brant Goose is a coastal bird in winter, and it feeds in agricultural land. In the breeding season, it uses low-lying wet coastal tundra for both breeding and feeding. The dark-bellied form breeds on the Arctic coasts of central and western Siberia and winters in western Europe. The pale bellied form breeds in Franz Josef Land, Svalbard, Greenland and northeastern Canada, wintering in Denmark, northeast England, Ireland and the Atlantic coast of the U.S.

Feeding

In winter they feed on eel-grass, seaweed and sea lettuce. They also feed on grass and winter-sown cereals.

Breeding

They build a bowl-shaped nest , lined with grass and down, in an elevated location, often in a small pond.